1 week ago
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Sepp van den Berg has expressed his joy after helping Brentford triumph over his former side, Liverpool, but showed his true colors by shying away from individual praise and pointing toward the team's success.
The Reds suffered a 3-2 defeat at the Bees on Saturday, marking their fourth consecutive Premier League loss. Arne Slot's side did manage late strikes in both halves through Milos Kerkez and Mohamed Salah to reduce the arrears on each occasion.
However, it proved to be another disappointing day for Liverpool, as its recent woes persisted. The Reds faced three of their ex-players in Keith Andrews' starting line-up, with Jordan Henderson and Caoimhin Kelleher both confronting the Reds for the first time since departing the club in the summers of 2023 and 2025, respectively.
Van den Berg also featured in Brentford's XI following his own transfer to the Bees last year, while Fabio Carvalho remained an unused substitute.
The Dutch defender put in a solid performance against his previous employers as he assisted Brentford in securing a third victory from its last four matches, having also defeated Manchester United and West Ham in recent weeks.
Van den Berg was thrilled to emerge victorious against his former club on Saturday. "I was very happy. I think we deserved it," he said. "The last couple of games, you can see us as a team really came together now and really became one.
"On Monday [against West Ham] we showed the same character and today again, against the champions of the Premier League last season. We've done amazing. Well, it's always nice [to beat your former club].
"It's Saturday night, under the lights, Gtech, against Liverpool, former champions. It's amazing, it's a good thing. We can celebrate for another 24 hours maybe, and then the cup game is already there. A little celebration tonight, nothing crazy, then we go again tomorrow."
Victory was sweet for Van den Berg, who had the last laugh after being deemed surplus to requirements by Liverpool just over a year ago. Despite Brentford conceding late in each half, he played a crucial role in helping the Bees secure the match.
His standout moment was arguably a critical block he made to deny Salah from close range before the Egyptian's late consolation.
However, a modest Van den Berg downplayed his individual performance after the final whistle. Despite being encouraged by the Brentford FC media team, he confessed he still has "a lot to prove."
"To be fair, I was alright. Still a lot to... No, I'm just being realistic," he shared with the club media, laughing at the interviewer's suggestion that Van den Berg does not like to compliment himself.
"Still a lot to prove, I think. Yeah, a couple of clearances, stuff like this. Okay, I will take the block then [against Mohamed Salah was impressive].
"It's a team performance... it's the whole team. If someone makes a mistake, the other guys are behind them, so we can build on each other. It's tough to keep focused for the full 90 minutes, especially if you go 3-2. It's tough, it is tough. But that shows the character."
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